Wrist sphygmomanometer

ABSTRACT

A sphygmomanometer includes a body  10  and a cuff  20  which is integrally attached to the body  10  and wrapped around the wrist. The body  10  is attached to the cuff  20  such that the body is located on the thumb side of the arm L when the sphygmomanometer is fitted on the wrist. Consequently, a precise blood pressure measurement and precise blood pressure fluctuation can be obtained without restriction on the location where the blood pressure measurement is conducted.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present invention relates to a wrist sphygmomanometer for measuringblood pressure by wrapping a cuff around the wrist to pressurize thewrist.

BACKGROUND ART

One example of conventional wrist sphygmomanometers of this type isshown in FIG. 9. A wrist sphygmomanometer 65 includes a body 70 and. acuff 80 which is integrally attached to body 70 and wrapped around thewrist. Body 70 has a display unit 71 which can stand up to display bloodpressure measurements (maximum and minimum blood pressures), pulse rateand the like, and an operation unit 72 for a power ON/OFF (measurementstart/stop) switch and the like. Cuff 80 contains therein a curler (notshown) for elastically maintaining cuff 80 in a substantially circularshape, and the curler is provided inside a cuff band 81 having on itssurface a hook-and-loop fastener.

As shown in FIG. 10, sphygmomanometer 65 requires that cuff 80 iswrapped around the wrist of the left arm L, for example, with body 70located on the inside (palm side) of left arm L and that the site ofmeasurement (wrist) is matched in height with the heart (represented bythe heart-shaped symbol) in order to accurately measure the bloodpressure.

The conventional sphygmomanometer 65 described above requires theposture for measurement as shown in FIG. 10. Therefore, in use ofsphygmomanometer 65, measurement is desirably conducted in the conditionthat the user sits on a chair or the like with the elbow rested on atable or the like, the measurement site (wrist) and the heart arematched in height, and the left arm is placed on an armrest such as acushion in order to stabilize the measurement site.

However, there is a certain distance between the chest and themeasurement site of the user in this posture so that it is difficult tomatch the height of the measurement site with that of the heart. Aresultant problem is difficulty in obtaining a precise measurement ofblood pressure. In addition, each time the blood pressure is measured,the height of the measurement site is likely to vary, causing an errorof the blood pressure measurement due to the varying height of themeasurement site and accordingly causing a problem that an accuratefluctuation of the blood pressure (blood pressure variation) isdifficult to know. Another problem is that the location for measuringthe blood pressure is restricted because of the need for an armrest forstabilizing the arm as well as a desk or the like on which the elbow isrested, in order to allow the user to take the posture illustratedabove.

FIG. 11 shows another example of the conventional wristsphygmomanometers. A sphygmomanometer 66 shown in FIG. 11 is similar tothat shown in FIG. 9 in that the former includes a body 74 and a cuff 84which is integrally attached to body 74 and wrapped around the wrist.Body 74 of sphygmomanometer 66 also has a display unit 76 for indicatingblood pressure measurements (maximum and minimum blood pressures), pulserate and the like and an operation unit 77 for a power ON/OFF(measurement start/stop) switch and the like.

Sphygmomanometer 66 is used by wrapping cuff 84 around the wrist of theleft arm with body 74 located on the inner side (palm side) of the leftarm, for example. When cuff 84 (i.e. air bag) is inflated formeasurement of blood pressure, cuff 84 pressurizes the inner side of theleft arm. In order to prevent the air bag from expanding outward (towardbody 74), body 74 has its surface (back side) facing cuff 84, that isformed into C-shape (recessed) according to the curve of thecorresponding opposite portion of cuff 84.

In order to realize a posture for measurement for allowing body 74 to belocated on the inner side of the left arm, some heavy loads (mainlybattery, motor, pump and the like) are arranged in sections 75 a and 75b with the boundary represented by the dotted line in FIG. 11 such thatthe weights of the loads are balanced. Then, the fitness ofsphygmomanometer 66 to the wrist is improved.

Sphygmomanometer 66 shown in FIG. 11 also requires that the measurementsite (wrist) is matched with the heart in height for accuratemeasurement of blood pressure, and accordingly the wrist is placedlightly on the chest for measurement. This posture for measurement leadsto a problem that sphygmomanometer 66 of this type cannot be reduced insize. Specifically, if the width of body 74 in the direction ofextension of cuff 84 is decreased in order to avoid the side face ofbody 74 on the palm side from heavily pressing the chest, it would bedifficult to balance the heavy loads in body 74. Further, body 74 wouldbecome unstable on the inner side of the left arm, resulting indeteriorated fitness.

Since heavy internal components are arranged within body 74 with theirweights well-balanced, body 74 fitted on the wrist (the cuff has notbeen wrapped therearound which means that the body is just put on thewrist) sits on the wrist in a stable manner. However, when cuff 84 isbeing wrapped around the wrist, one end of cuff 84 is pulled so thatbody 74 is likely to shift from its original position on the wrist.Consequently, body 74 which was balanced is going to turn along thewrist and the weight balance is lost. When cuff 84 is actually wrappedaround the wrist, body 74 could be shifted from the original desiredposition and attached as it is to the wrist. Therefore, the attachmentis troublesome because the wrapping must be done carefully.

The present invention is made to address these problems. One object ofthe invention is to provide a wrist sphygmomanometer which is easier tohandle.

Another object of the invention is to provide a wrist sphygmomanometerto enable an accurate blood pressure measurement and an accurate bloodpressure fluctuation to be obtained without restriction on the locationfor measuring blood pressure.

Still another object of the invention is to provide a wristsphygmomanometer of a smaller size which is easily attached.

DISCLOSURE OF THE INVENTION

In order to achieve the objects above, a wrist sphygmomanometeraccording to the present invention includes a body and a cuff which isintegrally attached to the body and wrapped around a wrist. The body isattached to the cuff such that the body is located on thumb side of thearm when the sphygmomanometer is fitted on the wrist.

When this sphygmomanometer is fitted on the wrist with its cuff wrappedaround the wrist, the body is located on the thumb side of the arm,while the conventional sphygmomanometer has its body located on theinner side (palm side) of the arm. Therefore, the sphygmomanometer ofthe invention allows a measurement site (wrist) to be placed on thechest for measuring blood pressure. As a result, the distance betweenthe measurement site and the chest becomes shorter, and the height ofthe measurement site can easily be matched with that of the chest.Precise measurement of blood pressure is thus possible. In addition,since there are fewer instances in which the height of the measurementsite varies each time blood pressure is measured, the fluctuation ofblood pressure can accurately be known. Further, since the posture canbe realized such that the measurement site is placed on the chest, thearmrest, table on which the elbow is rested, and the like areunnecessary and thus the location for measuring blood pressure is lesslimited. As a result, it is possible to provide a wrist sphygmomanometerwhich is easier to handle and which can take an accurate blood pressuremeasurement as well as a precise blood pressure fluctuation withoutlimitation on the location for measuring blood pressure.

According to another aspect of the invention, a wrist sphygmomanometerincludes a body having a power supply housing portion and a cuff whichis integrally attached to the body and wrapped around a wrist. The bodyis attached to the cuff such that the body is located on thumb side ofthe arm when the sphygmomanometer is fitted on the wrist. The powersupply housing portion is provided to the body such that the housingportion houses power supply in the direction perpendicular to the bodywhen the body is substantially kept horizontally.

When this sphygmomanometer is fitted on the wrist with the cuff wrappedaround the wrist, the body is located on the thumb side of the arm,while the conventional sphygmomanometer has its body located on theinner side (palm side) of the arm, and accordingly the sphygmomanometerof the invention can be reduced in size. Specifically, since the bodycan be less protruded on the palm side (inner side) the inner side ofthe body never strongly presses the chest even if the measurement site(wrist) is placed on the chest. Further, since the power supply housingportion is provided to the body such that the housing portion houses thepower supply in the direction vertical to the body, stability of thebody is enhanced when the sphygmomanometer is fitted on the wrist andaccordingly the fitness is improved.

According to still another aspect of the invention, a wristsphygmomanometer includes a body and a cuff which is integrally attachedto the body and wrapped around a wrist. The body is attached to the cuffsuch that the body is located on thumb side of the arm or on the outerside of the arm corresponding to back of hand. The cuff has on its palmside surface an indication-and-block member for preventing the cuff frominflating outward.

According to a further aspect of the invention, a wrist sphygmomanometerincludes a body and a cuff which is connected to the body via an airflow passage member and wrapped around a wrist. The cuff has on its palmside surface an indication-and-block member for preventing the cuff frominflating outward.

When the cuff of these wrist sphygmomanometers is wrapped around thewrist, the indication-and-block member is located on the palm sidesurface (inner side of the arm corresponding to the palm side) toprevent the cuff from expanding outward.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a wrist sphygmomanometer according toone embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 2 shows the sphygmomanometer shown in FIG. 1 which is fitted on thewrist of left arm.

FIG. 3 shows a posture for measurement with the wrist of left arm placedon the chest, the left wrist having the sphygmomanometer fitted thereon.

FIG. 4A is a plan view of a wrist sphygmomanometer in anotherembodiment, and FIG. 4B shows a side thereof viewed in the direction ofthe arrow IVB.

FIG. 5A is a plan view of a wrist sphygmomanometer in still anotherembodiment, and FIG. 5B shows a side thereof viewed in the direction ofthe arrow VB.

FIG. 6 is a perspective view of a wrist sphygmomanometer according to afurther embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 7 is a cross sectional view of the sphygmomanometer shown in FIG.6.

FIG. 8A is a plan view of a battery cover detachably attached to a powersupply housing portion of a body of the sphygmomanometer shown in FIG.6, FIG. 8B shows a side thereof viewed in the direction of the arrowVIIIB in FIG. 8A, and FIG. 8C shows a side thereof viewed in thedirection of the arrow VIIIC in FIG. 8A.

FIG. 9 is a perspective view of a conventional wrist sphygmomanometer.

FIG. 10 shows a posture for measurement with the conventional wristsphygmomanometer shown in FIG. 9 fitted on the wrist of left arm.

FIG. 11 is a perspective view of a conventional wrist sphygmomanometerwith some components omitted.

FIG. 12 is a perspective view of another conventional wristsphygmomanometer.

FIG. 13 is a perspective view of still another conventional wristsphygmomanometer.

BEST MODES FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION

The present invention will be described in more detail in conjunctionwith the attached drawings.

(1) First Embodiment

Referring to FIG. 1 which is a perspective view of a wristsphygmomanometer 1 according to the first embodiment of the invention,wrist sphygmomanometer 1 includes a body 10 and a cuff 20 which isintegrally attached to body 10 and wrapped around the wrist. Body 10 hasits back side (the side which faces cuff 20) curved to form a recessaccording to the shape of cuff 20. Body 10 includes a display unit 11for displaying icon or the like which indicates blood pressuremeasurements (maximum and minimum blood pressures), pulse rate, andoperation sequence of the sphygmomanometer, an operation unit 12 havinga switching function to turn on/off the power and start pressurizationof cuff 20, and a battery cover 13 which is detachable for allowing abattery to be loaded/unloaded. Display unit 11 and operation unit 12 arearranged on a front side (opposite to the curved back side) of body 10and battery cover 13 is arranged on an inner side of body 10. Body 10further includes therein components (not shown) which are a pump forsending air into cuff 20, a pressure sensor for detecting the pressurein cuff 20, a discharge valve for discharging air from cuff 20, abattery portion for housing a battery, and a circuit board on whichvarious electronic components are mounted.

Cuff 20 includes therein a curler (not shown) in an elliptical shape forelastically maintaining cuff 20 in the shape of ellipse, and the curleris provided within a cuff band 21 having on its surface a hook-and-loopfastener 21 a. As seen from FIG. 1, body 10 is attached to the portionwhere the curvature of the elliptical curler (i.e. elliptical portion ofcuff 20) is the maximum one (attached to the major axis portion of theellipse). Since cuff 20 is shaped into the ellipse and body 10 isattached to the major axis portion of elliptical cuff 20, the user canassume a posture to allow the wrist, on which sphygmomanometer 1 isfitted for taking measurement, to be placed on the chest as describedbelow.

Sphygmomanometer 1 described above is fitted on the wrist of left arm L,for example, as shown in FIG. 2. Specifically, in accordance with thesubstantially elliptical cross section of the left arm (right arm alsohas the elliptical cross section) of the human body, the correspondingelliptical portion of cuff 20 is fitted on the side (on the thumb side)of left arm L, cuff 20 is then wrapped around the wrist, andhook-and-loop fastener 21 a of cuff band 21 is used to fasten cuff 20 tothe wrist. When sphygmomanometer 1 is fitted on the wrist, body 10 islocated on the side (thumb side) of left arm L. In this state offitting, display unit 11 and operation unit 12 are located on the sideof left arm L according to the arrangement of body 10. In other words,body 10 is located on the radius B1, corresponding to the thumb side ofthe arm of the human body while ulna B2 corresponds to the little fingerside.

After sphygmomanometer 1 is fitted on the wrist of left arm L, the userassumes a posture for measurement as shown in FIG. 3 such that themeasured site (wrist) is placed on the chest at the height substantiallyequal to that of the heart. At this time, the right hand may support theleft hand to ease the load. Even when this posture is taken, displayunit 11 and operation unit 12 of sphygmomanometer 1 are located on theside of body 10, i.e., on the thumb side of left arm L. Therefore,indication on display unit 11 is easy to see, and an operation forturning on/off the power and starting pressurization by using operationunit 12 is also easy.

Further, since blood pressure can be measured with this posture shown inFIG. 3, the distance between the measured site and the chest isshortened and the height of the measured site can easily be matched withthat of the heart. In addition, there are fewer instances in which theheight of the measured site varies each time blood pressure is measured.Accordingly, blood pressure can be measured accurately and thefluctuation of the blood pressure can precisely be known. There is noneed for armrest, table on which elbow is rested, and the like, andrestriction on the location for measuring blood pressure is thusrelieved.

The body of the conventional sphygmomanometer 65 (see FIGS. 9 and 10) islocated on the inner side of left arm L, while body 10 is attached tothe major axis portion of the elliptical cuff 20 and the back side ofbody 10 coupled to cuff 20 is shaped in accordance with cuff 20.Therefore, the space for housing internal components (especially powersupply) can be secured in the vertical direction of body 10.Specifically, in this embodiment, the battery portion is arranged on thepalm side (inner side) of body 10 in order to house two batteriesaligned in the vertical direction. In this way, the width of body 10 inthe direction in which cuff 20 extends (circumferential direction of thewrist) can be decreased and accordingly the sphygmomanometer can bereduced in size so that the portability can be improved. As acomparison, the conventional sphygmomanometer 65 as shown in FIG. 9 hasbody 70 positioned on the inner side of the arm (see FIG. 10) and isthus limited regarding the width of body 70 in the direction ofextension of cuff 80. Therefore, the conventional sphygmomanometercannot be reduced in size for enhancement of the portability.

(2) Second Embodiment

A wrist sphygmomanometer 2 according to the second embodiment is shownin FIGS. 4A and 4B. It is noted that a cuff 35 is not shown in FIG. 4B.Wrist sphygmomanometer 2, which is similar to sphygmomanometer 1described above in the basic structure, is also constituted of a body 30and cuff 35. Sphygmomanometer 2 has a display unit 31 arranged at thecenter of the front side of body 30 and an operation unit 32 arranged atthe center of an outer side (the side corresponding to the back of hand)of body 30. A battery cover 33 is of slide type.

When sphygmomanometer 2 is fitted on the wrist, operation unit 32 islocated on the side corresponding to the back of the hand, so thatoperation unit 32 is easy to operate. This sphygmomanometer alsoachieves the functional effects similar to those discussed above. Inparticular, since this sphygmomanometer has display unit 31 andoperation unit 32 positioned at the central part of body 30, display 31is easy to watch and operational easiness of operation unit 32 ismaintained regardless of the location, i.e., left arm or right arm,where the sphygmomanometer is fitted. Therefore, the sphygmomanometercan be used on any arm, whether the subject is right-handed orleft-handed.

(3) Third Embodiment

A wrist sphygmomanometer 3 according to the third embodiment is shown inFIGS. 5A and 5B. It is noted that a cuff 45 is not shown in FIG. 5A. Asdescribed above, wrist sphygmomanometer 3 is also constituted of a body40 and cuff 45. Sphygmomanometer 3 has a display unit 41 arranged on thefront side of body 40 and an operation unit 42 arranged on a side in thelateral direction of body 40 (right side in this example). A batterycover 43 is of slide type.

When sphygmomanometer 3 is fitted on the wrist, operation unit 42 islocated on the side corresponding to the thumb (when thesphygmomanometer is fitted on the wrist of left arm). Therefore,operation unit 42 is easy to operate. Sphygmomanometer 3 also hasfunctional effects similar to those discussed above.

In addition to the arrangements of the fist to the third embodiments, anarrangement may be possible which allows both of the display andoperation units to be located on a side of the body corresponding to theback of the hand (on the outer side of the body). Specifically, thisarrangement corresponds to that in the second embodiment shown in FIG. 4in which not only operation unit 32 but also display unit 31 is arrangedon the outer side of body 30. However, preferably the outer side of body30 is extended to the extent which does not disturb cuff 35 to securethe space for placing display unit 41.

(4) Fourth Embodiment

FIG. 6 is a perspective view of a wrist sphygmomanometer 4 according tothe fourth embodiment and FIG. 7 is a cross sectional view thereof.Similarly to the sphygmomanometers in the embodiments above,sphygmomanometer 4 according to the fourth embodiment includes a body 50and a cuff 55 which is integrally attached to body 50 and wrapped aroundthe wrist. Body 50 has its back side (the side corresponding to cuff 55)which is curved to form a recess in accordance with the shape of cuff55. Body 50 includes a display unit 51 for displaying an icon or thelike to indicate blood pressure measurements (maximum and minimum bloodpressures), pulse rate, and operation sequence of the sphygmomanometer,an operation unit 52 having a switching function to turn on/off thepower and start pressurization of cuff 55, and a detachable batterycover 53 to allow a battery 59 to be loaded/unloaded. Display unit 51and operation unit 52 are arranged on the front side (opposite to thecurved back side), and battery cover 53 is attached to cover a powersupply housing portion 54 provided on the inner side of body 50. Body 50further includes therein the components (not shown) which are a pump forsending air into cuff 55, a pressure sensor for detecting pressure incuff 55, a discharge valve for discharging air from cuff 55, and acircuit board on which various electronic components are mounted.

Cuff 55 has a cuff band 56, an elastic air bag (formed of rubber, forexample, not clearly shown in FIG. 7) is provided between an outer sheet57 a and an inner sheet 57 b constituting cuff band 56, and an elasticcurler 58 which can be curved is arranged between the air bag and outersheet 57 a. Further, hook and loop fasteners 56 a (see FIG. 6) areprovided respectively on appropriate portions of the respective surfacesof outer sheet 57 a and inner sheet 57 b of cuff band 56 in order tofasten cuff 55 to the wrist.

Cuff 55 further has an indication-and-block member 60 on its surfacecorresponding to the palm for preventing cuff 55 from expanding outward(see FIG. 6). On indication-and-block member 60, directions for usingsphygmomanometer 4 are briefly indicated together with the type and thelike thereof. Block member 60 is not limited to a particular one if itcan hinder the air bag from inflating outward. For example, atransparent sheet having an appropriate rigidity may be welded or sewnto a proper portion of cuff 55 (outer sheet 57 a of cuff band 56), oronly a proper portion of cuff band 56 may be increased in thickness, oranother curler may be provided in addition to curler 58 within cuff 55.Block member 60 thus provided enables body 50 to be attached freely tocuff 55. As a comparison, a conventional sphygmomanometer 66 as shown inFIG. 10 has a body 70 which prevents a cuff 80 from expanding outward asdiscussed above. In this case, the location where body 70 is attached tocuff 80 is restricted.

Body 50 is attached to the portion of elliptical curler (i.e.,elliptical portion of cuff 55) where the curvature thereof is themaximum one (attached to the major axis portion of the ellipse). It isnoted that body 50 and cuff 55 are coupled by engaging an engagementhook protruding from curler 58 with an angled hole formed in body 50.Since cuff 55 is formed in the shape of ellipse and body 50 is attachedto the major axis portion of elliptical cuff 55, the width of body 50 inthe direction of extension of cuff 55 can be reduced and accordinglysphygmomanometer 4 can be decreased in size.

Specifically, referring to FIG. 7, body 50 is attached by cuff 55 suchthat body 50 is located on the thumb side of the arm whensphygmomanometer 4 is fitted on the wrist, and power supply housingportion 54 is arranged between the palm side (inner side) of body 50 andthe center C of body 50 with respect to the direction of extension ofcuff 55 for housing two batteries 59 in the vertical direction. In otherwords, in order to effectively utilize the space extending from themajor axis to the minor axis of elliptical curler 58, the cross sectionof body 50 including power supply housing portion 54 is formedsubstantially into the L-shape. Then, body 50 including power supplyhousing portion 54 can be reduced in size.

In this embodiment, plane P1 meeting the top of the front side of body50 is perpendicular to plane P2 crossing the centers of batteries 59within power supply housing portion 54, and the center of gravity G ofbody 50 including batteries 59 is positioned between the center C ofbody 50 and the palm side thereof. Further, the plane meeting the top ofthe palm side of power supply housing portion 54 (i.e. battery cover 53)is substantially set at the same level as that of the plane meeting thetop of the palm side of cuff 55 leaving only a distance d of about 2 to3 mm.

Sphygmomanometer 4 described above is fitted on the wrist of left arm L,for example, similarly to the first embodiment as shown in FIG. 2.Specifically, in accordance with the substantially elliptical crosssection of the left arm (or right arm) of the human body, the ellipticalportion of cuff 55 is fitted on the side (thumb side) of left arm L,cuff 55 is then wrapped around the wrist, and hook-and-loop fastener 56a of cuff band 56 is used to fasten cuff 55 to the wrist. Whensphygmomanometer 4 is fitted on the wrist, body 50 is located on theside (corresponding to the thumb of left hand) of left arm L. In otherwords, body 10 is located on radius B1 of the arm of the human bodycorresponding to the thumb side while ulna B2 is located on the littlefinger side. Power supply housing portion 54 is located on the palm sideand block member 60 of cuff 55 is located on the inner side of left armL.

As discussed above, the center of gravity G of body 50 is positionedbetween the center C of body 50 and the palm side (inner side) thereof.Therefore, when cuff 55 is fitted on the side of left arm L, the palmside of body 50 is surely supported on the wrist. Specifically,regarding sphygmomanometer 4 in this embodiment, body 50 is put on thewrist in a condition that the weight balance is lost from the beginning(body is fitted on the wrist with heavy loads such as power supplyintentionally arranged on one end of the body). At this time, theelasticity of the curler which is included within cuff 55 and shaped inaccordance with the wrist and the frictional force between the surfaceof the cuff contacting the wrist and the surface of the skin of thewrist cause cuff 55 to be tightened slightly around the wrist when thecuff is temporarily fitted on the wrist. Accordingly, when cuff 55 isbeing wrapped around the wrist, even if one end of the cuff is pulled,body 50 is less likely to be shifted from the original position in thetemporal fitting. As a result, cuff 55 can easily be wrapped around thewrist while body 50 is positioned on the side of left arm L and thefitness is thus improved.

After the sphygmomanometer is fitted on the wrist of left arm L, aposture is taken such that the measured site (wrist) is placed on thechest substantially at the same height as that of the heart in a similarmanner to that of the embodiment above as shown in FIG. 3. At this time,comfortability is enhanced by supporting the left hand with the righthand. Even when this posture is assumed, the top of the palm side ofpower supply housing portion 54 is substantially at the same level asthe top of the palm side of cuff 55 (power supply housing portion 54 isnot so conspicuously protruded toward the palm side). Therefore, powersupply housing portion 54 does not strongly press the chest and body 50never rotates to shift from the original position. Although cuff 55 (airbag) is inflated for measuring blood pressure and accordingly cuff 55expands inward to pressurize the inner side of left arm L, cuff 55 doesnot expand outward because of the presence of block member 60 on theinner side of left arm L. Therefore, cuff 55 is efficiently inflated bythe air supplied into the air bag.

In this embodiment, battery cover 53 is horizontally and verticallysymmetrical in shape as shown in FIGS. 8A, 8B and 8C. Therefore, batterycover 53 can be attached to power supply housing portion 54 in anydirection and there is no need to confirm the direction of theattachment. Further, battery cover 53 is attached to or detached frompower supply housing portion 54 by being put on/off from the housing, sothat attachment/detachment is easy. Battery cover 53 is thus wellfitted.

For comparison, FIG. 12 shows a sphygmomanometer 67 which includes abody 90 having a display unit 91 and a cuff 100 which is integrallyattached to body 90 and has a cuff band 101. When a plate-like batterycover 93 is attached to/detached from a power supply housing portion 98of body 90 in sliding manner, the portion for engagement with the fingeris small, which makes sliding of the cover difficult. Therefore, as theoperation for attachment/detachment cannot be done easily.

FIG. 13 shows a sphygmomanometer 68 which includes a body 110 having adisplay unit 111 and a cuff 120 which is integrally attached to body 110and has a cuff band 121. When a battery cover 113 is attached to a powersupply housing portion 118 of body 110 by fitting battery cover 113thereon, battery cover 113 can be fit onto housing portion 118 only in apredetermined direction. In this case, it would be troublesome toconfirm the direction, which means the operation forattachment/detachment is not easy. In particular, in order to indicatethe direction of attachment of battery cover 113, battery cover 113 maybe shaped in a manner to explicitly indicate the horizontal and verticaldirections, or a seal 113 a or characters 113 b may be put on batterycover 113 for indicating the direction. However, an extra space isrequired to shape the cover into a different form and it will bedifficult to reduce the size. Seal and character methods could add thecost.

It is noted that indication-and-block member 60 in the embodiment aboveis provided to cuff 55 which is integrally attached to allow body 50 ofsphygmomanometer 4 fit on the wrist to be located on the thumb side ofthe arm. However, the surface member on the palm side may be provided inthe similar manner to a cuff which is integrally attached to allow body50 to be located on the side corresponding to the back of hand.Alternatively, the indication-and-block member may be provided similarlyto the palm side of the cuff of a sphygmomanometer, which includes abody 50 and a cuff connected to body 50 via an air flow passage member(e.g. tube) and wrapped around the wrist (i.e., the cuff and body areseparated). Industrial Applicability

As heretofore discussed, the sphygmomanometer according to the presentinvention includes a body which is attached to a cuff such that the bodyis located on the thumb side of the arm when the sphygmomanometer isfitted on the wrist. Therefore, blood pressure can be measured at ameasurement site (wrist) being placed on the chest, and accordingly asphygmomanometer which is easy to use can be provided.

What is claimed is:
 1. A wrist sphygmomanometer including a body havinga power supply housing unit and including a cuff in an elliptical shapeintegrally attached to the body and wrapped around a wrist, wherein saidbody is attached to the cuff in a manner to allow the body to be locatedon a thumb side of an arm at a position corresponding to a direction ofa major axis of said elliptical shape when the sphygmomanometer isfitted on the wrist, and said power supply housing unit is provided tothe body in a manner to allow the housing unit to house said powersupply in a downward direction vertical to the body which is heldsubstantially horizontally, and a plane meeting a top of a palm side ofsaid power supply housing unit and a plane meeting a top of a palm sideof said cuff are substantially at the same level.
 2. A wristsphygmomanometer comprising a body having a power supply housing unitand a cuff in an elliptical shape integrally attached to the body andwrapped around a wrist, wherein said body is attached to the cuff in amanner to allow the body to be located on a thumb side of an arm at aposition corresponding to a direction of a major axis of said ellipticalshape when the sphygmomanometer is fitted on the wrist, said cuffincludes on its surface corresponding to a palm side an indication-andblock member for preventing the cuff from inflating outward, and theindication-and-block member for preventing outward inflation of saidcuff is provided on the palm side surface only and not provided to anyother portion.
 3. A wrist sphygmomanometer comprising a body having apower supply housing unit and a cuff in an elliptical shape connected tothe body via an air flow passage member and wrapped around a wrist,wherein said body is attached to the cuff in a manner to allow the bodyto be located on a thumb side of an arm at a position corresponding to adirection of a major axis of said elliptical shape when thesphygmomanometer is fitted on the wrist, said cuff includes on itssurface corresponding to a palm side an indication-andblock member forpreventing the cuff from inflating outward, and the indication-and-blockmember for preventing outward inflation of said cuff is provided on thepalm side surface only and not provided on any other portion.
 4. Amethod of measuring blood pressure using a wrist sphygmomanometerincluding a body having a power supply housing unit and including a cuffin an elliptical shape integrally attached to the body and wrappedaround a wrist, wherein said body is attached to the cuff in a manner toallow the body to be located on a thumb side of an arm at a positioncorresponding to a direction of a major axis of said elliptical shapewhen the sphygmomanometer is fitted on the wrist, and said power supplyhousing unit is provided to the body in a manner to allow the housingunit to house said power supply in a downward direction vertical to thebody which is held substantially horizontally, and a plane meeting a topof a palm side of said power supply housing unit and a plane meeting atop of a palm side of said cuff are substantially at the same level,said method comprising: fitting said wrist sphygmomanometer on thewrist; placing the wrist with said wrist sphygmomanometer fitted thereonon a chest of a subject; and reading a value detected by said wristsphygmomanometer with the wrist placed on the chest.
 5. A wristsphygmomanometer comprising a body having a power supply housing unitand a cuff in an elliptical shape connected to the body via an air flowpassage member and wrapped around a wrist, wherein said body is attachedto the cuff in a manner to allow the body to be located on a thumb sideof an arm at a position corresponding to a direction of a major axis ofsaid elliptical shape when the sphygmomanometer is fitted on the wrist,said cuff comprises an elastic portion on a palm side of the wrist in ashape according to the wrist for appropriately fitting thesphygmomanometer on the wrist, said wrist sphygmomanometer furthercomprises a heavy load portion for locating a center of gravity of saidbody between a center of said body and a palm side thereof, and saidheavy load portion is provided on a portion of said cuff where saidelastic portion is located.